Crimson Kisses
by Oratorio
Summary: Bailey finds himself becoming completely distracted by a certain Alliance commander...


Shepard was on the Citadel again. That news always made Bailey's mouth a little drier, his heart beat a little faster. He had never really paused to analyse his body's reactions to the Commander's presence beyond _Any man would feel the same. _

She was a tough woman with a ferocious temper, and she could handle an assault rifle better than any soldier Bailey had ever worked with. _One of the boys, _Haron had said. Bailey thought it was lucky Shepard hadn't heard that comment. It was something of an insult. He himself thought that she was all woman - her mahogany hair worn long in a high ponytail, full lips always painted crimson, the toughened leather of her armour shaped closely to her athletic yet feminine body.

Bailey shook himself mentally. It wasn't right that he should feel himself growing hard at the slightest thought of the woman who had, until recently, outstripped him in rank and reputation. He was a professional, a Commander himself now no less, and it was high time he acted like one.

His resolve lasted around half an hour, when the door to his office slid open and a familiar figure leaned against the wall, a smirk playing across her fine features.

"Hey, Bailey. Thought I'd drop by and see how you're coping with the chaos." She strolled across the room and dropped into a chair opposite his desk.

He chuckled. "Never rains but it pours, eh Shepard?"

She quirked an eyebrow at him. _God, she looks hot. _"That bad, huh?"

"You've seen how it is. The Reapers aren't letting up, we've more and more refugee ships arriving every day. Everyone's scared, people are homeless, crime rates are up..." Bailey sighed, rubbing his eyes. "And I'm supposed to be in charge of all this. I never asked for any of it."

"You're doing a good job, Bailey. But you must have your own worries, too?" Shepard said, fingers drumming lightly on his desk. _She can't keep still, _he thinks, _she's like a hummingbird. A terrifying, deadly hummingbird perhaps. _He realises she is waiting for him to answer her question.

"A few, you know. Like we all have. I guess my problems here take my mind off more personal matters, so I have this place to thank for that at least." He tried to smile, suspecting it looked more like a grimace.

"Personal matters?" Shepard said. "You have family on Earth?"

_Direct as ever. _"Yeah. Ex-wife I lost track of, some years ago. A son, enlisted in the Navy. A daughter, at university. She's studying to be a forensic biologist." His words trailed off as he pictured Simon and Georgia's faces. God, he missed them. He didn't even know if they were still alive.

"I'm sorry, Bailey." Shepard's voice was unusually soft, and as he met her eyes he could see the concern and understanding there. _So she's human after all._

He saw Shepard's eyes widen slightly, then she barked out a laugh, husky and rough. Bailey suddenly realised he had spoken aloud.

"Shit, Commander, I didn't mean any offence. It's just everyone knows you're_, _you know, like the perfect soldier and... Oh _hell."_

He sank his head into his hands and waited for the ground to open and swallow him up. The ground refused to oblige. Shepard's fingertips continued to beat a refrain on the desktop. Her breaths were coming in loud irregular puffs, and it sounded very much like she was trying not to snigger.

He raised his eyes to hers and saw amusement dancing in the green depths.

"I'm sorry, Commander. That was inappropriate," he said quietly.

"As if I've never been inappropriate in my career," she said. "C'mon, Bailey, it was funny. And please stop calling me Commander, unless you want me to start doing the same. That'd be pretty weird."

"Yeah, okay. Sorry Shepard." _So, Shepard, when were you inappropriate? _No. Inappropriate. Pull yourself together, Bailey. She'll think you're completely incompetent.

"We won't mention it again. Anyway, thanks for cheering me up, Bailey. I should go. See you around?"

"Drinks at Purgatory later?" He didn't know what possessed him to ask that question. Had he just asked the great Commander Shepard out for a drink? He seemed to have absolutely no control over himself around her. _She's just one woman, _he scolded himself mentally. _Just an ordinary woman. _Except she wasn't, was she?

"Why not. Half my crew are on the loose in this place, I may as well have some fun myself. See you later, then." She stood and winked at him - _winked! _- and he quickly looked down at his computer screen and tried to hide the flush that crept across his cheeks. Tried to focus on the words in the report he had been typing before she arrived. He failed miserably and closed his eyes.

"You okay, Bailey? You seem... distracted." Shepard's breath was suddenly hot in his ear and he felt his whole body tense.

"I'm fine." _I'm absolutely not fine._

"It's a very stressful job you have here. Perhaps you need to relax a little." Her voice was low, sultry, and he felt a shiver run through his body. She noticed and huffed a soft laugh against his neck.

"Shepard. What are you -"

He stopped mid-sentence as he felt her fingers run across his back. She massaged his shoulders with firm yet gentle strokes. He felt the knots in his muscles begin to loosen, and sighed deeply.

"You see, that's better already. Perhaps you just need someone to take care of you once in a while," Shepard said.

"And that someone is you, is it?" Bailey couldn't believe he was having this conversation with Commander Shepard while her hands moved expertly over his back.

"For now, it seems that way. Are you complaining?" she said, a playful note in her voice.

"No," Bailey said, unable to form any other words as her fingernails scraped over the rough fabric of his uniform shirt and down the sensitive skin of his sides.

"Good." Shepard dragged his chair out from under the desk, and Bailey inwardly cursed wheeled office chairs and the ease with which he was now displayed to Shepard, obvious erection straining against his trousers.

"Oh God." Bailey could hardly draw a breath. He felt as if his blood was thundering in his ears... and in other places too, given the ache in his groin. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this aroused. He knew he was blushing like a maiden as he felt Shepard kneel beside him.

"Fuck, Shepard," he said, his voice breaking as she unzipped his trousers and pulled out his cock. The feel of her warm, calloused fingers against the velvety skin was almost unbearable. It had been years since he'd been with a woman and he had to grit his teeth to stop himself climaxing instantly.

"That's the idea," Shepard said, her palm closing around his length, thumb skimming across the moisture that already gathered at the tip. Bailey shuddered and moaned, incoherent with lust. He gazed in disbelief at the rich cocoa-coloured hair which tickled the soft skin of his thighs, those shiny scarlet lips which were... oh God, sliding over his cock. The sight of the most beautiful, feisty woman he'd ever met on her knees with her mouth on him was almost enough to make him come undone. His fists gripped the armrests of the chair furiously as he struggled to keep control.

"Shepard... you need to stop," he said, his breath rattling in his lungs. Oh, but he could look at her all day, the sight of her lush lips wrapped around him, the feel of her hot mouth as she worked up and down his shaft, her tongue pressing against his skin. The way she reached out to stroke her fingers up his thighs, to caress him as she licked him. He wanted it never to end... but he knew that if she didn't stop now, it would all end far too soon. He tugged on her ponytail and she sat back, his cock sliding out of her mouth with a scandalous popping sound.

She sat back on her haunches and smiled at him, a smile full of fire and passion. "Fuck me, Bailey," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "I want you inside me now. I want to feel you come."

Bailey was on his feet. He couldn't remember getting up, couldn't remember lifting Shepard up and bending her over his desk, couldn't remember stripping off her armour or tearing off her underwear. But she was beneath him now, completely naked, her caramel skin flushed pink with desire. For him. He ran his hands over her waist, her breasts, pinched a nipple between his thumb and finger. She was amazing, she felt amazing. He never imagined he could be this lucky.

But here he was, and here she was, spreading her thighs and calling for him to take her. The musky scent of her need for him filled his nostrils, and with a roar he buried himself to the hilt inside her wet heat. He thrust inside her like a teenager - erratic, fast and rough, but he couldn't help himself. He knew he wouldn't last long, knew he was taking only his pleasure from her body, but at that moment he didn't care.

He felt his body tighten, felt himself building to a peak. He leaned over her, biting the skin just below her shoulder and leaving a red mark as his hips snapped wildly once, twice; and then he was shouting her name as he climaxed violently, the intensity of his feelings almost making him pass out.

Eventually Bailey slid out of her, his softening cock smeared with her juices. He collapsed back into his chair, eyes closing in bliss, mumbling softly about making it up to her later. Shepard was silent.

Bailey rubbed at his eyes and sighed deeply. He cursed his over-active imagination as he tucked himself back into his uniform, dabbing fruitlessly at a sticky spot. How he was going to be able to look Commander Shepard in the eye in Purgatory later, he did not know.


End file.
